Daniel Ivanov
Brother Daniel Leonid Ivanov is a Jesuit priest and a member of the San Francisco Resistance movement. Early History Until he was nine years old, Daniel had never considered a life in the church. Like most young boys, he dreamed of being a fighter pilot or adventurer, like Indiana Jones. He was the oldest son of Vasily Ivanov, a downhill skier and Katerina Petrov, a figure skater who defected to the United States during the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics of 1960. Wanting a life away from communist rule, the duo left in the middle of competition, taking a bus away from Lake Tahoe and arriving at Los Angeles where they asked for political asylum. Granted US citizenship, the duo were soon enlisted in the Olympic sporting world, Vasily coaching young hopefuls, while Katerina started making the rounds of the lucrative professional skating circuit. In 1974, Vasily and Katerina settled down in San Jose to raise a family, fulfilling their dreams of living some place warm. Vasily continued to train Olympic hopefuls while Katerina gave birth to their son Daniel, followed by his sister Xenia. Like most second generation immigrants, Daniel and Xenia grew up in a world of competing cultures although Vasily was more open to embracing American society, Katerina preferred to instill her children with some Eastern European traditions. Occupation When the Visitors arrived, Vasily and Katerina who were more than familiar with oppression, recognized the Visitor propaganda for what it was. Vasily, enlisting the aid of the Wo rld Liberation Front, the global resistance network, was able to escape with his family to, Fort Chimo, Canada. Although miserable, Daniel and Xenia got used to living in the town and Daniel became close to Father Cleary, a Jesuit priest who was part of the underground network that helped smuggle scientists and academics who had been targeted by the Visitor for detention or worse yet, conversion. Over the next three years, Daniel's close relationship with the curmudgeonly man of the cloth fostered his own spiritual belief and by the time the Visitors were driven away, Daniel wanted a life with the church. While Vasily was supportive of his son's choices, Katerina was not happy by this. A product of communist rule, she had little patience for the church and was openly hostile to his decision, demanding that the family moved back to San Jose away from Father Cleary's influence. Despite this, Daniel kept in contact with the preacher with letters. Fortunately, his sister Xenia who had been skating before she could walk, commanded her family's attention when she decided to compete. Life in high school however was complicated for Daniel. Especially where the opposite sex was concerned. Like all teenagers, he had the natural inclination towards girls but his desire for the priesthood, ensured that he kept them at arms length. Priesthood Upon graduating from high school, Daniel was accepted into the Jesuit School of Berkely, thanks to his good SAT scores as well as a letter of recommendation from Father Cleary. His ordainment as a priest was marred by Katerina swearing she'd never forgive him for ruining his life. When she died two years later of ovarian cancer, she still hadn't forgiven him. Daniel spent the next few years in places such as Zimbabwe, Uganda, East Timor, Argentina and Paraguay, carrying out missionary work. In his time, he had encountered every kind of human diseases, from famine, to corruption, to the violence of civil wars where innocents died by the thousands in the crossfire Invasion Daniel was visiting the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, having returned from Argentina when the Visitors attacked. Since then he's been recruited by the Church's efforts to establish an underground network, helping people escape to areas not affected by a breakdown in the red dust. Personality Daniel is a deeply spiritual man, who believe in his God but finds his faith wavering in the face of more and more horror. Usually a man of conviction who doesn't believe in violence, it is becoming clearer and clearer to him that in a struggle for the human race, compromises may have to be made. He fears that these will be more than can be absolved. Vital Statistics Age: 34 Height: 6’ 1” Hair: Brown Eyes: Blue Family: *Father - Vasily *Mother - Katerina *Sister - Xenia Distinguishing Marks? None Place of Birth: Alamaden Valley, San Jose Professional Occupation: Jesuit Priest Training/Education *Jesuit School of Berkeley - Master of Divinity Played by Scribe